It’s the crème de la crème watching us watching them
Faces!
And what a masquerade..
The idea for the Grand Black & Gold Masked Ball started last year actually, when it was discovered that as part of the decorations for our standard (and I use the term in the lightest sense, as no Grand Ball is ever truly ‘standard’, they’re always spectacular in some way shape or form), Black & Gold Ball the powers that be had provided small venetian style masks. After some discussion it was decided that we simply couldn’t spring masks on the GWV patrons without including the idea of a masked ball in the “know before you go”…because some of these people would want the option to go all out for that kind of thing.
So the masks were packed away in storage until this year, and those of us who knew for certain it was coming, started looking around for things to wear that – while perhaps not a full ‘masquerade’ costume, would at least hint at something a little different. Something from a bit of a time gone by. For my part I used the excuse of my last birthday to buy a proper Venetian mask, and I purposely packed my evening cloak, so my costume is set…granted, it also involves a hair appointment (an hour to twist my now overly-long locks into an ear-to-ear crown braid and sweep the rest of up into a very elegant French twist), a lot of ribbon and not being able to breathe for most of the night (if one owns a gold corset, one does not turn down the perfect opportunity to use it)
It was a beautiful night. It’s amazing the difference that having even the tiniest bit of anonymity can bring, people were dancing to songs that normally would have presented an empty dance floor. Glimmer and glamour was everywhere, and you could tell how many people had planned in advance and brought their own masks – so in amongst the standard black and gold ones that the ship provided were splashes of silver and white and sparkling blue, there was even a little bit of pink! And instead of a traditional entry where the guests enter to the band already playing, we started with the curtain down and did a grand reveal (which was, incidentally, partially my idea, though by this point none of the organizers will ever remember which person’s brainstorming list contained which suggestions), when the curtain came up the cast was all standing frozen mid-waltz with their amazing masquerade style costumes on and the band was all masked as well. It was a truly breathing taking image.
The dance went straight through till 11:30, something that is almost unheard of when there aren’t any prizes or give-aways to hold the patrons there, instead they were just there because they were having a great time.
For those who were concerned, or wondering, yes I made it through the night without limping, or straining my heel, despite the fact that I was wearing low kitten heels (yes I was cheating). There were people who were saying that they were amazed that I’d bounced back so quickly, considering that I couldn’t walk without pain a few days ago. I owe a large part of it to the medical help I’m sure, but if I were to tell you how I really healed so quickly I doubt very many of you would believe me (well, some of you would, but perhaps not all of you).
After it was all over of course, the costume was carefully packed away in suitcases that I’m sure are overweight, the swirling velvet length of my evening cloak was the last thing to be carefully laid away before I zipped the case closed in preparation for inspection the next day, and the mask itself will be carefully wrapped in bubblewrap and put into my purse for transport home – it being far too delicate to pack in a check-bag.
Who are we behind our masks? Behind the facade we all present to the world? Hard to say really, we are all so many people…behind the various masks we don for the sake of the world and for those of us in show business in any form, behind the glimmer and the glitz, the gowns and the false eyelashes…the person behind our eyes may be very different to the person that the world thinks they see, and it is only a privileged few that we allow to see behind the ‘razzle dazzle’ of it all…
Llife itself, is such a masquerade.